Knot Knecessarily Known Knitting

A third approach to adding beads with crochet is a hybrid method. This involves pre-stringing, so has all the caveats about stringing multiple colors in order, difficulty in fixing mistakes, and fraying yarn. It also has the advantage that if you strung correctly, the beads are not going anywhere. This method is slow because not only is the bead secured by being strung, it is secured again by pulling a loop through the bead. You'll need beads with large holes for this technique. In technique video 5 the hybrid method is used in between stitches. The result in double crochet is a horizontal bead that is very secure. In single crochet, the result is more angled. Also, this method means the bead is on the chain, and can interfere with making the next row of stitches. This method is best suited to adding beads on a final edge or adding looping swags of beads in a chain stitch edge. In technique video 6 the hybrid method is used in the middle of making a...

If pre-stringing beads for crochet is unappealing, then maybe adding loose beads as you work is better? Once again, there are advantages and disadvantages. On the upside, there are greater options for improvisation and creative freedom. You can change your mind, rip back, fix mistakes. And you aren't dragging yarn through lots of beads, so less likely to damage yarn. On the downside, you have loose beads. Have you ever tipped over a container of beads? It is amazing how far they go! Another positive is since you are pulling a loop through, two strands of yarn pass through the center of the bead. It feels more secure. In my series, technique video 3 shows adding an unstrung bead in between stitches.  The result in double crochet is similar to a pre-strung bead between stitches — horizontal orientation that is reversible. There is a little piece of yarn that goes underneath the bead but the bead has two strands going through the center. Single cr...

Like many fiber artists, I am multi-craftual. I don't crochet a lot. But I know how to crochet. For some projects, crochet is the appropriate choice. Crochet is stiffer than knitting. For items that take hard wear, crochet can be a good solution. And there are a lot of lovely lace patterns in crochet. I decided to investigate adding beads to crochet. Since I like crochet lace patterns and beads go well with lace, this seemed like a good idea. And I found I wasn't always happy with what I got. Specifically, I was often unhappy with little strands of yarn that went around the outside of the beads. In knitting, beads are often reversible. In crochet, sometimes so and sometimes not. And I was specifically unhappy with how there didn't seem to be a way to thread a bead on to a crochet stitch. A double-crochet is a nice sturdy post. Surely there must be a way to get all of that post through the center of a bead? My experiments resulted in a series...

A question was recently posted to the Ravelry double-knitting group . The knitter wanted to work a typical two-color double-knit fabric but did not want to manipulate two colors at once. She wanted to know would it be possible to work the fabric using the slipped-stitch method? While I think it is probably more efficient to work with both colors in one pass, it is possible to work each color individually. Some caveats: You want points at both ends — use double-pointed needles or circular needles. If you like reading your knitting, it is tricky to read that second pass. You might want to set-up each row by inserting stitch markers at each color change. This method is probably slower. On the other hand, if you really can't stand carrying two colors at once or you are getting very different tension with each color, then working one color at a time may be worth it. You might find you better match the tension in both colors. You will still need to move the yarn back and forth between th...

It has been awhile since I developed a new class . Shadow knitting has been on my list of potential new classes. The technique is relatively easy — achievable by beginners who can work stockinette and garter stitch. The design potential is significant, especially in the hands of someone like Steve Plummer. In the process of making my own designs, I needed to make some after-the-fact edits. Steve said it wasn't difficult. He was right! Since shadow or illusion knitting is just knits and purls, all you have to do is ladder down and latch it back up correctly. This isn't as difficult as it sounds, since the fabric is two-row stripes. It is easy to read the chart and determine whether you need two stitches in stockinette (knit, knit) or two stitches in garter (knit, purl). So easy, I shot video. Ideally you want to pause, evaluate, and make changes before binding off. Having access to live stitches is key. What happens if you finished something months or years ago and...

It has taken me awhile to shoot video and post this technique, partly because this is one of my "unventions." I haven't seen this technique documented elsewhere. Rather, I derived it. It allows you to bind off at both the beginning and the end of a row of knitting without one side being taller than the other. In the top photograph, you can see the left corner and right corner don't match. The left corner has one more row of stitches, making the stripe thicker. In the bottom photograph, both corners match. Yes, this is a very picky detail that typically makes little difference. But for those it does annoy, this technique will delight. I usually teach this in my "Refined Baby Surprise Jacket" class as well as "Unventions" and "Looping Back" classes. The directions: Bind off at the beginning of the row, as per the instructions. Work across in pattern, stopping with what you need to bind off plus one stitch remaining at the end of ...

As the Early Bird Deadline for STITCHES South is this week, now seems like a good time to mention my classes. I don't always make the schedule for STITCHES South, so it is very exciting for me to have two classes offered this year! My Thursday afternoon class is "Brioche Rosetta Stone." I've taught this before and I've blogged about it. Check this post from July of 2009 to find the genesis of this class. In class we'll knit three or four different patterns. We will work the first pattern two different ways, so you'll learn the two ways of making brioche fabrics and how to convert between them. When you leave class, you should be able to recognize a brioche stitch whatever it is called -- including recognizing them in Japanese pattern books. And you should be able to work the stitch pattern regardless of which technique you are given. I've been polishing the other class for STITCHES South -- "Waste Not: Shawls," which will be on Saturday ...

In the pattern I wrote "jp" for "joined picot." This maneuver combines both the picot and the joined ssk, so please be sure to watch both of those videos first and work those techniques a few times so you feel familiar and confident.   This maneuver appears in only one row of the pattern. If you like, you can just work a regular joined ssk instead, but I noticed the missing picot in the selvedge. Basically, you'll set-up the two stitches to be joined, work most of the picot, then finish the join, then finish the picot. By the time you get to this row of the pattern you will have knit many picots and made many joins, so this really shouldn't give you a lot of trouble.

In the pattern I wrote "jssk" for "joined ssk." You'll need to rearrange some stitches so you can work a left-leaning decrease that will join the triangular and square sections of the scarf as you knit. The joined ssk is worked at the beginning of certain wrong-side rows. For those of you who are very clever and know how to combination knit, you can reverse-wrap the last stitch of the right-side row. When you turn, that stitch will already be turned and facing east, so all you will have to do is slip the other stitch over. This will save you a wee bit of time and effort.

In the pattern, I simply wrote "fh" for "fill hole." You'll make the holes on the right-side rows, then fill them in on the wrong-side rows. Notice that this technique could be used for different-sized holes. The ones in Bootkicked involve binding off five stitches. Whatever size you use, be sure to bind off an odd number of stitches on the make hole element because the fill hole element is (knit, yarn over) repeated as many times as you need, ending with knit. So the fill hole will always be an odd number of stitches.

In the pattern, I simply wrote "mh" for "make hole." There are other ways to make holes, but I particularly liked this version from Lucy Neatby. If you want to try this technique to make other sizes of holes, be aware you should bind off an odd number of stitches. It is easy to bind off any number you like, but when restoring the stitches on the following row, it will be easier if you are restoring an odd number rather than an even number. This is because you restore the stitches by working some variation of (k yo k) or (k yo k yo k) or (k yo k yo k yo k) into the large hole. While you could work (k yo) or (k yo k yo) or (k yo k yo k yo), I suspect ending with a knit stitch rather than a yarn over will be tidier.

Bootkicked is an intermediate level scarf. You'll be doing three or four things at once: shaping (triangles or squares) pattern (half-drop holes separated by three ridges of garter stitch) edging (picots) joining motifs as you go None of these things are difficult, per se. But all of them are probably a little more interesting than your usual knitting. So over the next few days I'll be posting five short videos to show you clearly the odd little steps to this strange little dance. First up: Picot Edging Be aware that in the pattern, I simply wrote "mp" for "make picot." There are a lot of different ways to make a picot, and you can do what I did or something you like better or you can just delete the picots entirely. Picots are made by casting on stitches and then binding them off immediately. In Bootkicked, you'll always be casting on and binding off three stitches, but you can do more or fewer to make your picots longer/larger or shorter/s...

This final video shows you how to Kitchener graft garter stitch. Most people learn Kitchener stitch just enough to graft sock toes closed in stockinette. Garter stitch is trickier, because one side of the graft is knit and the other side is purl. I like to think this video will make it easier for you to seam your Tetra beautifully with a graft. You might also be able to seam your Tetra instead with a combination of mattress stitch and garter stitch seam, similar to what you might do on a Baby Surprise Jacket. Whatever you decide to do, try to avoid a seam that would be thick or that would take fabric into a seam allowance. The fun of a Tetra is that you can fold it into lots of other shapes. I suspect it will fold less easily and be less comfortable to sit upon if you have thick seams in your blanket.

This second video also deals with the selvedge. Changing colors every other row (i.e. every right-side row) is a common knitting technique. Not only can you make stripes without breaking the yarn and weaving in lots of ends, but you can also blend two similar colorways of different dye lots when you are using hand painted yarns. Since there are two strands, you have a choice of which way to move your yarns when you change color. In this video, I show you both options. Choose what you like best. Tomorrow: How to graft garter stitch.

The Tetra Stadium Blanket isn't a terribly difficult knit. After all, most of it is garter stitch. This means you can knit on it throughout the sport season, and have your blanket finished and ready for the post season. While you can make it in more than two colors, the two color style is perfect for incorporating the colors of your team. This is a good gift knit, provided you have the time and don't mind the yarn commitment. You can give it to a man who starts each day with ESPN, or you can make it in baby colors and give it to new parents. This first video is how to work what Fleegle has called a vertical lifeline. Basically, you trap a piece of waste yarn, or a circular needle, or a cable from an interchangeable needle in your yarn as you turn to knit back. Tomorrow: How to change colors every other row (i.e. every right-side row).

My home has been rather chaotic this holiday season. I decided to take a little mental health break and run down to ZooAtlanta on Friday afternoon. It was a nice day, cool in the morning but warming up to comfortable autumn weather by afternoon. I specifically went to view Chelsea and her five-month-old cubs, Sohni and Sanjiv. I had hoped to see them a month ago during Po's birthday celebration, but tiger father Kavi was out on exhibit that morning, the weather was extremely fine for November -- more like late summer than autumn -- and Kavi was not about to give up the yard and go inside. Sumatran Tigers are a smaller sub-species of tiger, but they still have all the majesty one expects in a big cat. Unfortunately, their numbers in the wild have diminished to about 400. Like so many apex predators, tigers require significant space for territory and plentiful prey. With seven billion people on the planet, there are fewer resources for other species. This is true in the Unites S...